Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, June 1, 2016
- THREE
PMH Foundation awards scholarships
The Pioneer Memorial
Hospital Foundation has
announced the scholarship
recipients for 2016.
T h e
foundation
announced
it
has
awarded
the Dr. Wal-
lace Wolff
Scholar-
Eva
ship
in the
McMasters
amount of
$1,500 to Eva McMasters.
This scholarship was es-
tablished in memory of Dr.
Wolff, who
was a long-
time physi-
cian serv-
ing the area
and Pioneer
M e m o -
Stacee
rial
Hos-
Halverson
pital. The
s c h o l a r s h i p
was established by Dr.
Wolff’s children to as-
sist students wishing
to enter the medical
ield.
Eva is working as a
receptionist at Pioneer
Memorial Hospital and
has completed her prereq-
uisites and been accepted
in the diagnostic imaging
program at Linn Benton
Community
College.
S t a -
cee Halv-
erson was
awarded an
Earl and
Hazel
Wil-
Rebecca
son
Schol-
Jepsen
arship
in
the
amount
of
$1,250. Halverson has
been accepted in the ra-
diologic
science
program
at Oregon
Institute of
Te c h n o l -
ogy
with
the goal of
Ryan
obtaining
Dougherty
bachelor
degrees
in radiologic science and
health care management
Rebecca Jepsen also
was awarded an Earl and
Hazel Wilson Scholar-
ship in the amount of
$1,250. Jepsen is a gradu-
ate
of
Whitworth
University
and has en-
tered
the
Doctor of
Physical
Lillian
Therapy
Sandford
program at
Eastern Washington Uni-
versity.
Ryan Dougherty also
received a Wilson Schol-
arship in the amount
of $1,250. Dougherty
will be a ju-
nior in the
speech and
language
science
program
at Arizona
State Uni-
Ian Murray
versity
with
the
goal of becoming a speech
and language pathologist.
Lillian
Sandford
was awarded a Wil-
son Scholarship in the
amount of$1,000. She is
attending Colorado North-
western Community Col-
lege in the dental hygiene
program.
Ian Murray was also
awarded
a
Wilson
Scholar-
ship in the
amount
of$1,000.
He
is
Stephanie
attending
Stokoe
the
Uni-
versity of
Portland in the Bachelor of
Science nursing program.
The foundation also
awarded $500 scholar-
ships to seven students
who gradu-
ate
from
high school
this year.
Stepha-
nie Stokoe
will gradu-
ate
from
Tommy
R
i
v
e
r
s
ide
Bredield
High School
this year and will enter
college with the goal of be-
coming an EMT and work-
ing in emergency medical
services.
Alma Angulo (picture
not provided) will graduate
from Irrigon High School
this
year
and will en-
ter college
with
the
goal of be-
coming a
registered
nurse.
Patrick
Collins
Beatriz
Aguilera
(picture not provided)
will graduate from Irri-
gon High School this year
and will enter school in
the nursing program with
her long-term goal of be-
coming a
traveling
nurse.
Tom-
my Bred-
ield will
g r a d u -
Kaelyn
ate
from
Lindsay
Heppner
High
School
and
will start his college
career in pre-physical
therapy with the goal
of becoming a physical
therapist. Patrick Collins
will graduate from Hep-
pner High School and
will enter Eastern Oregon
University this fall with the
long-term goal of working
in physical therapy.
Kaelyn Lindsay will
graduate
from Hep-
pner High
School and
will
en-
ter
Blue
Mountain
Community
Jessica
Kempken
College this
fall with the
goal of becoming a dental
hygienist.
Jessica
Kempken
will graduate from Hep-
pner High School and
will also enter Blue
Mountain
Community
College this fall with
the goal of receiving
her Associate Degree
and transferring to Oregon
State University’s dental
program.
FARM WORKER HOUSING
-Continued from PAGE ONE annually to the economies the land is zoned farm use, application for the zone 140,000 total temporary ers’ compensation and
that the new project met all
the state and local land use
laws for seasonal acces-
sory farmworker housing,
and should therefore be
approved by the planning
commission. Perkins Coie
is representing PROffutt,
a Fargo, ND-based LLC,
which actually made the
application. PROffutt is
the development and con-
struction arm of Threemile
Farms, which operates on
93,000 acres west of Board-
man.
Threemile currently
raises organic crops on
5,200 acres there, includ-
ing potatoes, onions, peas,
corn, triticale, alfalfa and
carrots. It currently has
150 seasonal workers, but
as stated in its applica-
tion, plans to increase that
number with its expanded
organic farming plans.
The entire farming op-
eration presently includes
37,000 acres of irrigated
farm ground and a farm
payroll of $12 million annu-
ally with over 300 full-time
employees. Its conventional
crops include corn, wheat,
peas, alfalfa and mint. It
also runs a 24,000-cow
dairy operation with 25,000
replacement heifers on its
property and, according to
the farm’s website, con-
tributes over $420 million
of Morrow and Gilliam
counties.
Boardman resident
Kelly Doherty, wife of new-
ly-elected county commis-
sioner Jim Doherty, spoke at
the public hearing and was
adamantly in opposition to
the zone change applica-
tion and proposed housing
project. The Dohertys lease
additional city land located
next to the proposed house
project and say it will dis-
rupt a family cattle business
and bull testing area they
have there. They also have a
homestead on Wilson Lane
and additional property on
Kunze Lane.
Doherty’s main objec-
tion to the housing project
was that neither the city
nor Threemile has demon-
strated a need for the hous-
ing, thus justifying a zone
change from Space Age
Industrial (SAI) zone to
Exclusive Farm Use, EFU.
“I don’t think you have
a compelling reason to
change this and lose this
SAI,” she said. Doherty
told the planning commis-
sion the land is marginal ag
land and would be better
left as SAI. She said the
only need apparently is that
the farm wants to put farm
housing on the ground and
can do this more easily if
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under which farm housing
is an allowable use.
On the subject of trans-
portation Doherty says
Tower Road, which is the
main road out of the project
and Threemile Farms, is not
big enough to handle the
increased trafic from the
new farm workers. Rob-
inson, however, had said
the workers would most
likely not be owning and
driving cars, and would be
given rides by bus not only
to work, but also into town
to go shopping once per
week. Doherty said even if
the workers are considered
indentured to the farm, their
employer is not going to
be in a position to keep the
workers from going to town
more if they want to.
“These people are go-
ing to ind a way to go to
town. I don’t see how you
are going to say when they
are and aren’t going to go
to town,” she said.
She also said the hous-
ing project would be better
suited to be built within the
city limits of Boardman,
where there is a greater
need for housing. She said
the housing could then also
be used for construction
workers in the area, while
she says many now are
living in travel trailers scat-
tered “illegally” on ground
around her property.
Doherty also said the
change was not submit-
ted correctly, contained
other procedural errors and
should have been adver-
tised as an application for
farm worker housing in-
stead of just a zone change
application. Doherty said
notices to adjacent property
owners did not mention
farm housing, but only the
zone change. She also said
she and her husband have
retained legal counsel in
opposition to the project.
Also speaking against
the project was Pat Suter of
Tom’s Camp Rd., who said
the farm has plenty of land
on which to put the housing
and does not need to rezone
this particular piece.
“Why change zoning
when you have 90,000 of
EFU already? They can put
the housing on their own
property,” he said about
Threemile Farms.
Under the H-2A Visa
program employers are
allowed to bring foreign
nationals into the US for
temporary or seasonal ag-
ricultural work. The pro-
gram establishes a means
for agricultural employers
who anticipate a shortage
of domestic workers to
bring non-immigrant for-
eign workers to the U.S. to
perform agricultural labor
or services of a temporary
or seasonal nature. In 2015
there were approximately
NOW
HIRING
DRIVERS
agricultural workers in the
U.S. under the program.
Terms of work can be
as short as a month or two
or as long as 10 months,
although there are some
special procedures that al-
low workers to stay lon-
ger than 10 months. All of
these workers are covered
by U.S. wage laws, work-
other standards. Addition-
ally, temporary workers and
their employers are subject
to the mandates under the
Affordable Care Act. Em-
ployers are also required to
pay inbound and outbound
transportation, and provide
free housing and meals for
the workers.
FFA elections are here
again
FFA says goodbye to 2015 oficers,
hello to 2016 oficer team
By Taylor Nelson
T h e H e p p n e r F FA
chapter elected new offi-
cers for this upcoming year
on April 28 in the Ag room
at Heppner High School.
The election process was a
simple one this year, con-
taining an application, a
speech and a vote.
The new oficer team
is Tim Gould as president,
Kolby Currin as vice pres-
ident, Keegan Gibbs as
secretary, Logan Grieb as
treasurer, Kane Sweeney
as reporter, Emily Cecil as
sentinel and Jake Lindsay
as historian.
The new oficers had
their irst oficial duty on
May 12 at the Heppner
FFA’s 10 th annual banquet
at the Morrow County Fair-
grounds at 6 p.m., when
the retiring officer team
oficially handed over their
positions to the new oficers
at the end of the banquet.
“We had an amazing
year and have accomplished
more this year than any of
the other three years I’ve
been on the oficer team,”
Gould said. “I am glad to
have served with the four
seniors Rylee Kollman, CJ
Kindle, Caitlynn Bailey and
Patrick Collins.
“My only regret was
not going to the officer
retreat to bond with my
fellow oficers. I am glad
to see what’s ahead for the
chapter and the new oficer
team. I see great potential
for the new officer team
and I’m glad to be a part of
the team.”
FFA advisor Beth Dick-
enson said, “I appreciate the
hard work and dedication of
the retiring oficers and look
forward to the accomplish-
ments of the newly-elected
oficers.”
GRADUATION THIS WEEKEND!
Ione June 3rd
Heppner June 4th
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